Sunderland (pronounced: /'sundələnd/, /'sʌndələnd/ or /'sun(d)lən/) is a city in Tyne and Wear, England. It was formerly a county borough but now forms part of the City of Sunderland. It sits at the mouth of the Wearside conurbation.The name "Sunderland" is reputed to come from Soender-land (soender/sunder being the Anglo-Saxoninfinitive, meaning "to part"), likely to be reference to the valley carved by the River Wear that runs through the heart of the city. Another meaning is that of the name referring to 'land set aside', derived from the rich Christian heritage of the city.There were three original settlements on the site of modern-day Sunderland. On the north side of the river, Monkwearmouth was settled in 674 when Benedict Biscop founded the Wearmouth-Jarrow monastery. Opposite the monastery on the south bank, Bishopwearmouth was founded in 930. A small fishing village called Sunderland, located toward the mouth of the river (modern day East End) was granted a charter in 1179. Over the centuries, Sunderland grew as a port, trading coal and salt. Ships began to be built on the river in the 14th century. By the 19th century, the port of Sunderland had grown to absorb Bishopwearmouth and Monkwearmouth. Sunderland became a city in 1992